Watch: How Recovery Unplugged Offers Hope and Healing to the LGBTQ Community

We're not broken, or less than. We're not terminally unique, either. But facts don't lie. Due to the myriad stressors LGBTQ people routinely endure, we have much higher rates of substance abuse than the rest of society. Because addiction is one of the greatest health risks the queer community faces, EDGE Media Network continues our quest to uncover the causes, effects and answers surrounding this crisis.

While what we've discovered continues to paint a disquieting portrait of the toll addiction has taken on the rainbow nation, we've also found reason for hope, thanks to an innovative treatment model developed by Recovery Unplugged. A drug and alcohol rehab unlike any other, Recovery Unplugged uses music to affect change in clients right down to their souls — the place where true healing happens.

Just as crucially, Recovery Unplugged offers compassionate, caring substance abuse treatment for the LGBTQ community. EDGE recently traveled to Recovery Unplugged's flagship location in Fort Lauderdale to meet Samantha Gorson, a Recovery Unplugged alumna who shared her story of survival, and how Recovery Unplugged helped her get (and stay) sober.

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Jill Gleeson is a travel and adventure journalist based in the Appalachians of Central Pennsylvania. Find her on Facebook and Twitter at @gopinkboots.

The coronavirus pandemic has largely eclipsed the conversation around the opioid crisis. But the crisis still rages on despite business closures, the cancellation of in-person treatment appointments and the strain on many addiction resources.